as a sinner, but as a just man. Pardon of sin is an utter abolition of it, as it doth reflect upon the person, making him guilty, and obliging him actually to condemnation ; in this respect the pardoned man is as free as if he had never sinned. Therefore the believer, the penitent person, hath infinite cause of rejoicing, that God hath perfectly pardoned his sins, and that he looks upon him no more [as] a sinner, but as a just and righteous person. 0 sirs ! what can the great God do more for your comfort and consolation ? and therefore, never entertain any hard thoughts of God, as if he were like those men who say they forgive with all their hearts, and yet retain their secret hate and inward malice as much as ever ; but for ever live in the faith of this truth, viz., that when God doth pardon sin, he takes it so away, as that the party acquitted is no more looked upon as a sinner. Now upon this con- sideration, what a glorious plea hath every sincere Christian to make in the day of account ! But,
Fifthly, Forgiveness takes off our obligation to suffer eternal pun- ishment; so that, look, as a forgiven debtor is freed from whatsoever penalty his debt did render him liable to, so is the forgiven sinner from the punishment itself. In this respect Aristotle saith, ' To forgive sin is not to punish it.' And Austin saith, ' To forgive sin is not to in- flict the punishment due unto it.' And the schools say, ' To remit the sin is not to impute the punishment.' When a king pardons a thief, his theft now shall not prejudice him. The guilt obliging is that whereby the sinner is actually bound to undergo the punishment due to him by the law, and passed on him by the judge for the breach of it ; this is that which by the schools is called the extrinsecal guilt of sin, to distinguish it from the intrinsecal, which is included in the deordination 1 of the act, and which is inseparable from the sin. And if you would know wherein the nature of forgiveness immediately and primarily consists, it is in the taking off this obligation, and discharg- ing the sinner from it. Hence it is that the pardoned sinner is said not to be under the law : Rom. vi. 14, and not to be under the curse ; Gal. iii. 13, and not to be under the sentence of condemna- tion. And according to this notion, all Scripture phrases are to be construed by which forgiveness is expressed, Rom. viii. 1. God, when he forgives sin, he is said to cover them, Ps. xxxii. 1, Ixxxv. 2 ; Rom. iv. 7 ; ' to remember them no more,' Isa. xliii. 25 ; Jer. xxxi. 34; Heb. viii. 12 ; 'to cast them behind his back,' Isa. xxxviii. 17 ; 'to throw them into the depth of the sea,' Micah vii. 19 ; 'to blot them out as a cloud,' Isa. xliv. 22 ; ' and to turn away his face from them,' Ps. li. 9. By all which expressions we are not to think that God doth not know sin, or that God doth not see sin, or that God is not displeased with sin, or that God is not displeased with believers for their sins ; but that he will not so take notice of them as to enter into judgment with the persons for them.. So that the forgiven sinner is free from obliga- tion of the punishment, as truly, as surely, as fully, and as perfectly as if he had never committed the sin, but were altogether innocent. In every sin there are two things considerable : first, the offence which is done to God, whereby he is displeased ; secondly, the obligation of the man so ofiending him to eternal condemnation. Now, remission ^ ' Disorder,' = unlawfulness. — G.
66 SERIOUS A^^) weighty questions
of sin dotli wholly lie in the removing of these two ; so that when God doth will neither to punish or to be offended with the person, then he is said to forgive. It is true there remains paternal and medicinal chastisements after sin is forgiven, hut no offence or punishment strictly so taken. And is not this a noble plea for a believer to make in the day of account ? But,
Sixthly, Consider that all the sins of believers were laid upon Christ their surety, Heb. vii. 21, 22. What is that ? That Ls, he became bound to God, he became responsible to him for all their sins, for all that God in justice could charge upon them, and demand for satisfac- tion: Isa. liii, 5, 6, ' Our salvation was laid upon one that is mighty;' Ps. Ixxxix. 19 ; Isa. Ixiii. 1. As Judah became a surety to Jacob for Benjamin, he engaged himself to his father : ' I will be surety for him, of my hand shalt thou require him ; if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever,' Gen. xliii. 9 ; herein he was a type of Christ, that came of him, who is both our surety to God for the discharge of our debt and duty, and Gt)d's surety to us for the performance of his promises. ' Father,' saith Christ, ' I wUl take upon me all the sins of thy i people ; I will be bound to answer for them ; I will sacrifice myself for them ; at my hands do thou require satisfaction for their sins, and a fuU compensation unto thy justice ; I wiU die, I will lay down my life, I will make my soul an offering for sins ; I will become a curse, I will endure thy wrath.' Oh, what un- speakable comfort is this, that there is a Christ to answer for that which we could never answer ! Christ is a surety in way of satisfac- tion, undertaking for the debts, the trespasses, the sins of his elect. In this respect it is that Christ is most properly called a surety, in regard of his taking upon him the sins of his elect, and undertaHng to answer and make satisfaction unto the justice of God for them. Christ interposeth himself betwixt the wrath of God and his people, undertaking to satisfy their debts, and so to reconcile them unto Grod Christ had nothing of his own to be condemned for, nothing of his own to be acquitted from. He was condemned to pay your debt, as your surety, and therefore you cannot be condemned too. He was acquitted from it, being paid, as your surety, and therefore you cannot but be acquitted too. He appeared the first time with your sin to his con- demnation, he shall appear the second time without vour sin unto your salvation, Heb. ix. 28. God the Father says to Christ, 'Son, if' you would have poor sinners pardoned, you must take their debts upon yourself, you must be their surety, and you must enter into bonds to pay every farthing of that debt poor sinners owe ; you must pay all if you will undertake for them, for I will never come upon them for it, but on you.' Certainly these were some of those transactions that were between God the Father and G^ the Son from all eternity about the pardoning of poor sinners. If ever thv sins be pardoned, Christ must take thy debts upon himself, and be 'thy surety; 2 Cor. v. 21, 'He made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin.' Christ was made sm for us— 1, by way of imputation, ' for our sins were made to meet upon him,' as that evangelical prophet hath it, Isa. liii. 6 ; and, secondly, by reputation, 'for he was reckoned among malefactors,'